I know that I can do that again,” Salling said. “Helping others and doing things for the greater good is what I loved most about what I was doing in the military.
Salling found a new purpose: Earn an engineering degree and pursue a career developing affordable and life-changing prosthetic devices to replace limb loss. This is when I knew I wanted to become an engineer.” “But then I started speaking to people with an amputation and noticed small tweaks that could improve their prosthetic devices. “I felt hopeless since there was nothing I could do to help,” he said. He was moved by their determination and desire to achieve better functionality to live their best lives. But at age 27, his service was unexpectedly cut short after he was diagnosed with cancer.Īfter six surgeries and five rounds of chemotherapy to treat three types of cancer in his abdomen, he was forced to leave the military after serving 10 years - and wondered what was next for him.ĭuring his cancer treatment at the Naval Medical Center San Diego and involvement in the Wounded Warrior Project, Salling met fellow service members dealing with physical wounds, including the loss of arms and legs. Richard "Rich” Skerbitz meets Joseph Reza, from left, Josephine Overbeek and Ryuko Geronimo when he attended student presentations in May about the 3D-printed prosthetic arm project.Ĭal State Fullerton mechanical engineering student Scott Salling had a promising career in the U.S.